Tenor Cimbasso (5V bass trombone) for those tuba players who are asked to play bass trombone gigs. (I like playing bass trombone, but I'm not confident enough to play it in public yet). With tuning options for a flat whole step or two whole step.

DouglasJB wrote:Tenor Cimbasso (5V bass trombone) for those tuba players who are asked to play bass trombone gigs. (I like playing bass trombone, but I'm not confident enough to play it in public yet). With tuning options for a flat whole step or two whole step.

Tell me more about how you would like this done? Straight out slide with rotors? Bent like a cimbasso with rotors/pistons? An add on to a current bass trombone (change the slide for valves) or a complete different model? 5 or 6 valves?

sure it does... Three valves is within a few millimeters being as long as an E-attachment, and a Bb trombone is fully chromatic with just a bit less than an E attachment.That's a fabulous instrument!(...so, apparently it already exists, and in a quality-built form...and I'm sure that manufacturer could/would also offer it as a bass).

Slide-o-phobes could use the playing slide as a "main tuning slide trigger".

Mark Finley wrote:Very true. It's Basically like having two 7th position options at your fingertips...

It (were there a bass bore version) would be a way for me to double on bass trombone again...and without the constant drudgery of reinforcing slide technique......but the combination of my smaller-bore/quality-rotors cimbasso and my nice-pistons euphonium with a good low range seem to do the job.

There are certainly those, but > There are times (certain Sundays, in December and April) that they are all used up, or some of them are busy with their high school bands' activities, or... ~and~> Often, I'm handed 60/40 tuba/bass trombone or 40/60 tuba bass trombone parts, and (usually) I'm hired because someone has heard me play tuba before. They're fine with me playing the bass trombone parts on tuba, euphonium or cimbasso, but being able to actually play a Bb bass trombone instrument (without the slide technique maintenance) would be a bunch of fun. For the first time in my life, I played "bass trombone" in a big-band (and great charts) with the cimbasso, a few weeks ago. Previously, the only big-band experience I'd ever enjoyed was from within the rhythm section. It was great, and I was surrounded by some world-class section leaders, which really encouraged me to "play up" and offer my personal-best musical product.

sure it does... Three valves is within a few millimeters being as long as an E-attachment, and a Bb trombone is fully chromatic with just a bit less than an E attachment.That's a fabulous instrument!(...so, apparently it already exists, and in a quality-built form...and I'm sure that manufacturer could/would also offer it as a bass).

Slide-o-phobes could use the playing slide as a "main tuning slide trigger".

Sorry, but this superbone is a very bad construction for playing in the low bass trombone register just above pedal Bb.

First, a 3-valve sharp E is not long enough together with a normal 7th position E to play B just above Bb pedal in-tune. You need to extend the valves to a flat-tuned E to do so.

Second, you don't want 3 valves resistance in the low register, having the usual Bb/F/Gb/D setup 2-valve resistance is bad enough, and requires enough training to make the sound concept equal to the open bone. You don't want to make it worse by using 3 valves.

Third, the usual setup with a 2-valve D at first position makes the B above-padals on alow 5th position( actually only a 4th position on the D horn, but below a 5th position on Bb horn), which is already quite a distance to pedal Bb at first position. You really don't want the B to sit further out on the slide.

The superbone is constructed for fast jazz licks on the valves, albeit still having glissando effects and vibrato on the slide. Actually quite a challenging instrument to play. And the concept does not really extend chromatically to the pedals ..

The playing slide being a slightly larger percentage of the instrument would solve that.Bach 42 tbn's - as a set of examples - are easier to barely grab "low C" than Conn 88 tbn's, due to the playing slide being a bit longer, and the bell section being a bit shorter.